92 ANIMAL PARASITES. 



that is, the abdomen, by which the young are scattered in the 

 wound, where they then mine fresh passages, leads to bad sores, 

 to inflammations of the glands of the groin, to mortification, and, 

 in consequence, to amputation or mutilation of the limbs, or even 

 to death. The toes are especially attacked by the flea, although 

 other parts of the body are also visited. 



Treatment. Prophylaxis : Persons who are staying in places 

 where the flea is endemic, must have their feet examined by 

 children every two or three days. I think it would be advisable 

 for residents or travellers in those districts to pour a few drops 

 of an essential oil (for example, oil of anise or rosemary) now and 

 then into their stockings or shoes, in order to keep off the insects 

 by this odour. 



Active treatment. When the animal has once made an en- 

 trance, the orifice of the canal, which is marked by a red point, 

 may be sought, the passage widened with a needle, and the flea 

 drawn out, but without tearing it. With fresh punctures it is 

 best to wait a day, until the occurrence of the white vesicle, that 

 is to say, the swelling of the abdomen with the brood, allows the 

 animal to be more readily detected. Here also I should think 

 that touching this vesicle with oil of anise would be beneficial and 

 kill the flea (because the respiratory stigmata are situated upon 

 the abdomen), or compel it to wander out. The cavity remaining 

 after extraction is treated like a simple wound. In Brazil they 

 fill it with oil, snuff, or ashes. 1 



Sub-Order BRACHYCERA = True Flies. 



Corpus latum } rarissime longum ; caput hemisphaericum aut 

 ovale, thorace latitudine par ; abdomen amplius ; proboscis aut 

 brevis, crassa, carnosa, retractils, aut long a, prominens, coriacea. 

 Antennas in canellam capitis retractiles ad ultimum ex 3 articulis, 

 quorum 2 parvi et stylosi sunt, tertius vero crassus et globulosus 

 stylum (bristle) aut palpum habet, composites. Alee rarissime de- 

 sunt. 



Family of Bot-Flies = (ESTRIDEA. 



Corpus setosum ; proboscis nulla aut minima ; palpi haud clari ; 

 antennae brevissima in sulco capitis recondite, tertio articulo globoso 



* 



1 See Appendix B. 



